I-Search: The Beginning

Aim: How do we begin our search for answers?    

Do Now: On a post-it, write your question for inquiry.

It’s time to start working out your brain by beginning your search for answers to your I-Search topic. Like everything else in life, the best searches are organized; and to answer a brain science question, what better method is there than the Scientific Method? You know the four basic steps to the Scientific Method: Hypothesis; Data Collection/Observation; Analysis; Conclusion.

Here’s the road map (outline) you should follow as you undertake your journey. For this quest, you’ll focus primarily on the first section of the outline: what you already know, assume, and imagine about your topic.

Step 1: Download the I-Search outline and keep it close to you throughout this challenge. Read the first section: “What I Know, Assume, Imagine.” This is the section that establishes your hypothesis by basically explaining why you chose this topic or question. Without doing any research, you are simply writing everything you already know about the topic. Go into your own brain and ask yourself what assumptions you already have, what results you think you will get? What do you already know and how do you know it?

Step 2: Now that you’ve explained to your readers everything you know, you are in a perfect position to proceed effortlessly into your introduction where you simply state the hypothesis you are out to prove. By this time your readers should understand why you chose this particular question and what you are hoping to show. For example, if you want to tackle the mind versus brain question (as well as the question about identity), your introduction might simply say, “Based on my assumptions, personal experience, and prior knowledge, I hope to prove that our minds--not our brains--define us as individuals.”

Believe it or not, by completing Steps 1 and 2, you are two-fifths of the way through this project. Show your outline to your editor and or teacher to see if you’ve missed anything.

To view the entire I-Search assignment, click here. To review how you will be graded, click here to see the rubric.

Standards: 

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.